Chapter 2

The kit made his way quietly around the camp. Cats occasionally glanced up and murmured as they watched the cat. Some even gave him amused or respectful expressions. The ravine was deep in the ground, lined by the dens all the way down. The dens themselves were each lined outside with moss, ferns, and brambles to shelter them from gusts of winds.

Cyrus looked over as a very dark, nearly black tom paced in front of a den. A golden tabby stood near him with a chuckle. "Sit, Darkflight. They're going to be fine."

"What was I thinking," he growled and he stepped back in forth. "Kits this close to leaf-bare. I'll get them all killed in this weather."

The she-cat nudged Darkflight, causing him to stumble. "It'll be fine. Kits are born in leaf-bare all the time in the clans. And Berrysky is a great medicine cat. She won't let anything happen to Hayflower or your kits."

A gray cat who's pelt showed small hints of bluish shades. Her ear tips her black as well her tail tip. She dipped her head to the cats waiting. "Hayflower is fine. Two healthy kits have been born. You may see them now, but don't stay long, Darkflight. She needs rest."

The dark tom bowed his head and squeezed through the entrance. The golden she-cat smiled and stopped, spotting Cyrus. "Hello there," she meowed kindly looking down at him, for she-cat was a tall cat, taller than him for sure. "I was hoping you'd be up eventually. Some of my cats saw what happened and reported to me. That was quick thinking, saving yourself from the hawk."
"Hawk?"

"A large bird that has a nasty habit of carrying kits off. It tried to take you, but it seems you were stronger than it thought you were. That was amazing, especially for a kittypet."

"What's a kittypet?" Cyrus inquired, curiously. "I've never heard these words before."

The she-cat placed a paw against his collar's bell, listening to the little tinkle it made. "A kittypet is a cat that allows themselves to be owned by the twolegs. Always being spoiled, having their every meal handed to them in a bowl. Kittypets never experience the wild, never train or engage in a border battle. Some kittypets get sent to the cutter, meaning they ever have kits. Out here, every cat that wants kits, can have kits. Here in the clans, we're free. We can have kits as we please, eat what we like. Even though the life is hard, we harden ourselves as apprentices through our training. We learned hunting and battle moves to defend our territory and hunting pret"

Cyrus's eyes lit up with the light of curiosity and enchantment as the she-cat spoke. He could just picture living in the wild. Fighting hawks, hunting mice, running through the fields free of his collar and restraining housefolks. His mother had mentioned that the twolegs would most likely send him to the vet and a cat named Smudge in their neighborhood said that some cats who came home from the vet were slightly different. More lazy and dull, never having that kithood thinking that led to them exploring. He couldn't think of anything more horrifying than no longer having his curiosity stripped away.

The golden tabby chuckled. "Welcome to Meadowclan, little kit. My name is Amberstar and I am leader. Here we live in the open moor of the forest, fast as the wind, we chase the quick rabbits. We are fierce, but wise. We are the fastest cats in the forest as well as the only ones not constantly fighting."

"What are the other clans like?"

Amberstar paused, her eyes scanning the black and white lump of fur for any usual kittypet signs, but she saw only the eyes of a clan cat, one ready to learn and grow as a warrior. He wondered why she stared at him as she did. "I would say that they're crazy. There are more pressing mattersat paw, but they are stubborn. Torrentclan is accusing Swampclan of crossing their border and stealing the frogs around their pond and Forestclan has caught Swampclan on their territory and Forestclan has been crossing the Torrentclan territory to find herbs that Torrentclan are hoarding. It's sad really. I refuse to be a part of their bickering. They're supposed to be leaders, not kits." She gave hefty sigh and turned her gaze back to Cyrus. "I'm actually quite glad to have found you and your sister. We are unusually low on apprentices with only two, half the average number. You're six moons old and if you both join Meadowclan, you will be allowed to train and one day become warriors. But," Amberstar paused to let her amber eyes rake the sight of the clan. "The clans have a noble history and we follow a set of rules called our Warrior Code. Though we occasionally battle over prey and borders, we don't kill. And the most important rule we have is if I let you join, you must let go of your kittypet roots. Become fully loyal to Meadowclan and Meadowclan alone. Do you understand?"

Cyrus took a moment to consider his choices. If he went back to his housefolks, they would eventually take him back away from the forest, take him to the vet, or rather cutter, and be changed forever. He may become as fat and unadventurous as Smudge and these thoughts made the kit shutter. He didn't want a life like that. He wanted more out of his life. He knew this to be true. "I do. I want to join Meadowclan."

Amberstar's gaze seem to soften as she looked into his blue eyes. She could see in him that she had seen in so many kits that grew into warriors. He thought like a wild cat and was already refusing kittypet life. Cyrus spun in a circle, trying to bite at his collar and rid himself of it's scratchy uncomfortable nature, but he howled in pain and fell to the ground, feeling his body twitch in agony. Instantly, the young gray cat was at his side, pressing her nose into pelt to sniff at his wounds. You must be careful, young one," Berrysky mewed lightly, her eyes filled concern for the kit's health. "Your wounds are great. Only Starclan know how you're even alive. A talon to the face and dropped the length of a tree in the air. You landed quite roughly, but luckily you must have landed on something that broke your fall. You got lucky." She gave a curt nod as she nosed him back to the den he awoke in.

"Cyrus!" The young tom turned as his sister tackled him to the ground, purring. "I was so worried! I saw that giant hawk come down and grab you and I..." Her voice trailed off as she her pained groan from Cyrus and she quickly leaps off him. "Oops."

Berrysky hurried across the clearing to him and sniffed at him. "You have to be careful. I'm still not sure if he has any broken bones. He needs to take it easy until I'm certain he's better."

Chrissy tips her head slightly to Amberstar. "Do we have to leave when he's better? I like living here."

Amberstar thinks it over for a moment and then gives a small nod. "I can promise to train you. Whether or not you become a warrior is up to how well you deal with the training. If you want to stay, I can give you apprentice names and you will be assigned mentors."
"This one can't train him till I think he's ready."

"I know," meowed Amberstar understandingly. "He can still receive a name. What do you say, little kit?"

"We're not kits," Chrissy retorted with a huff. "We're very big cats now."

"You're at least six moons old. You can begin your training right away. Which is good. We had a bad bout of kittencough a little while back and we lost several kits. In fact, only two of seven kits in the nursery survived and they are our only apprentices as of now. Welcoming two new apprentices will definitely be a good choice, kittypets or not." Amberstar turned and bounded up onto the top of the ravine. "Let all cats old enough to chase prey gather here beneath me for a clan meeting!" As her stern yowl rang out, numerous cats ceased their activities and padded to the shade just below the golden cat and sat, their eyes trained on her. "We all still remember the hard sickness we had a couple of seasons ago. We lost nearly every kit in our nursery, save Breezepaw and Crystalpaw. Now we desperately need apprentices to grow our clan and so I welcome these two kittypets into our clan."

Several cats began to murmur uncomfortably, making glances at the two.

"They're kittypets!" spat a mottled tom to the cat beside him. "Soft and plump! They've never known hardships like clan born kits!"

"But he survived a hawk!"

"He was probably to fat too carry off!"

"We don't want a smelly fleabag stinking up the camp with his twoleg scent!"

"Enough!" All the cats stopped, their eyes trained back above as Darkflight stepped up beside his leader, fury flashing in his eyes. "You all know the warrior code, "The leader's word IS the warrior code, and this is Amberstar's decision! If she wants these cats to join, they will!"
Amberstar gave an amused purr. "Thank you Darkflight." She cleared her throat once the mews died down. "From this day forward, until they have received their warrior names, I give them these names. Chrissy will be Coldpaw, due to your fluffy pelt able to fight this chill so well. And Cyrus, you will be Crowpaw, because like the crows we occasionally try to hunt, you have escaped certain death."

Crowpaw felt his chest swell with a little pride. He'd somehow survived a hawk and a fall, and now he had joined a clan. He would never have anyone tell him he can't hunt the garden birds, maybe now he'd grow with something in his life to fight for. The life as a pet just never seemed filling. Crowpaw always figured his life would be nothing. Now he could become a warrior, maybe one day a leader. All he knew is once he recovered, he would not let the clan regret taking him in.